Happy Meatless Monday!  As you may or may not know, Planet Forward supports the Meatless Monday campaign – a non-profit initiative in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.  It’s part of an eco-friendly worldwide movement to reduce consumption of animal products in favour of more plant-based meals to fight global warming and improve our personal health.  This week we bring another vegetarian recipe for you to try.

Beans are a staple for vegetarians as they are a healthy (and fat-free) source of protein and carbohydrates.  Plus they are more familiar to flexitarians and other non-full-time vegetarians than tofu, tempeh and seitan.  Our hearty lentil soup recipe can be made ahead of time and you can even freeze it (in an air-tight container) if you make too much.  I am a huge soup fan especially during the long-cold Canadian winter and this is one of my favourites.

Hearty Lentil Soup – serves 4 people as a main course with a salad and bread (gluten-free ideally but whole-wheat/grain is good too)

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot sliced
• 2 stalks of celery diced
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup dry lentils
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt/pepper to taste (if needed)
• Tabasco Hot sauce (optional and to taste)

Preparation:
In a large pot, sautee onions, celery and carrot in the vegetable oil for 3-5 minutes until onions are transparent.  Add the vegetable broth, lentils, bay leaves and salt/pepper (if needed).

Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until lentils are soft, about 45 minutes. Remove bay leaves and stir in hot sauce (if desired) and that’s it.  Easy-peasy.  Serve with a side salad and fresh bread to round off a great and satisfying meal.

Don’t forget – to join the movement, sign up online by going to your local Meatless Monday site or you can go here http://www.meatlessmonday.com/ to learn more.   If this Monday passed you by, next week is another chance to go meatless – it’s only one day for an eco-friendly cause.  Join us. 

Bon (vegetarian) Appetit!